ADD: Mambru Se Fue A La Guerra (Marlborough)

Subject: RE: ADD: Mambru Se Fue A La Guerra (Marlborough)
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 28 Sep 04 - 03:18 PM

"mambru se fue a la guerra," as I also found out when I was looking for information, has a multiplicity of hits, but few are useful, and many are Latin American rather than Spanish. A number of them are anti-war or politically-biased and most have no real information on the song and many just copy of each other.

A Spanish website with good lyrics is: http://www.terra.es/personal2/anarco/cancion/mambru.htm. This one has the pio-pio verse.

A children's site I used when looking for versions of Don Gato also has the pio-pio verse: http://personal.iddeo.es/bernal/marisa/cuentos/canciones.htm

A more useful site is: http://fresno.cnice.mecd.es/~gmat0002.didact/actividades/partituras.pfd/mambru.pfd- which has a version collected in Segovia, a different last verse, and sheet music.

Subject: RE: ADD: Mambru Se Fue A La Guerra (Marlborough)
From: OldPossum
Date: 28 Sep 04 - 03:15 PM

See also this message from Bob Bolton: Malbrooke/Marlborough and this thread: Malbrouck s'en va-t'en guerre.

Subject: RE: ADD: Mambru Se Fue A La Guerra (Marlborough)
From: Wilfried Schaum
Date: 28 Sep 04 - 09:42 AM

Search with Google, phrase: "mambru se fue a la guerra".
About 749 hits.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Se me fue a la guerra
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 27 Sep 04 - 01:43 PM

Spanish versions- there are a couple on the net. Little different from the Latin American versions.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Se me fue a la guerra
From: GUEST,alexmar
Date: 27 Sep 04 - 01:20 PM

Any spanish versions found?

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Se me fue a la guerra
From: Wilfried Schaum
Date: 27 Sep 04 - 02:47 AM

Marlborough - German version (my post 24 Sep 04 - 07:10 AM), which should be positioned in the link Wolfgang gave.
Marlborough isn't mentioned, but an ensign = officer candidate. The tune is altered, but sometimes recognizable.
What I wrote about the sadder tune and the three monks was an error, it belongs to a different song about a girl and a soldier KIA.

Q - hather yorar = hacer llorar.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Se me fue a la guerra
From: AKS
Date: 27 Sep 04 - 02:21 AM

The version at Suomen kansan e-sävelmät only has one -the first- verse of text, but if I remember correctly the story goes along the same lines as the German version does. Notice when searching the database that Marlborough has changed his name to Melperi when travelling in Finland...

AKS

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Se me fue a la guerra
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 24 Sep 04 - 06:24 PM

Trivia-
For guitar enthusiasts- Fernando Sor wrote a series of variations- "Variations sur Marlbrough s'en va-t-en guerre," Opus 28.

The tune occurs on the cd, Fiddle Tunes of the Lewis and Clark Era, Voyager Recordings. Any proof that it was fiddled at that time?

The tune of Marlborough is widespread, but what proof is there that it was brought back to Europe by Crusaders? More likely the tune was brought to the Peninsula by the Moors.

A fragment is in the folk literature of the Sephardic Jews:
Las nuevas que vos traigo
os van a hather yorar
Mambrý queda muerto
en la raya de Portugal---(gap)
Quatro cures y un fraile [monk]
lo yevan a enterrar.
[raya- within (the boundaries of); fraile- monk]
http://www.sephardifolklit.org/flsj/xml-di/Zam14b-3Dl.html

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Se me fue a la guerra
From: GUEST
Date: 24 Sep 04 - 12:32 PM

we have found it!!!! it isnt the marlborough song. it is in fact from Carmen y Laura. Thank you so much. Joe & Q, you have no idea what this means to my father-n-law. it brought him to tears. God Bless you. from the bottom of my heart i will be forever greatfull. Although it may not seem to mean alot, seeing as it is just a song to you, it is an endearing memory to him. what you have done means the world to this man. Thank you.
                                       Alexis

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Se me fue a la guerra
From: Wilfried Schaum
Date: 24 Sep 04 - 07:10 AM

This is not the German version of the Marlborough song, but a poem about the battle of Höchstädt, where Emanuel Geibel used the first line of the French song. The German version of the song has a quite sadder tune, but the lyrics are similar to the French original. I don't have the German text at hand (somewhere in my songbook manuscript, boy scout times), but I remember that here he is not buried by four officers, but by three monks of the order of St. Francis.
More about his military carreer. He never fought in the peninsula.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Se me fue a la guerra
From: Wolfgang
Date: 24 Sep 04 - 06:47 AM

We wouldn't like to remain without the French and German versions:

Marlbrough s'en va-t-en guerre

(midi too on that site)

Wolfgang

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Se me fue a la guerra
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 23 Sep 04 - 09:09 PM

Mambrú is known throughout Latin America, as googling will show.

The one I posted is from a book of folk songs from Mexico, Puerto Rico, and Cuba. Like the United States and Canada, many folk songs of these countries were brought by immigrants, and some are included in the book. One of these is Mambrú.

However, it is possible that it is not the right song. Moreover, only the children's song has been found- It probably is derived from a more warlike version. If we are on the wrong track, I think Joe may split the thread, as he has done on occasion.

In any case, here is a literal translation of Mambrú to add to what has been posted so far.

MARLBOROUGH WENT TO THE WAR

Marlborough went to the war,
What sorrow! What suffering!
Marlborough went to the war,
I don't know when it will come,
Do, Re, Mi, Do, Re, Fa,
I don't know when it will come

If it comes by Easter,
What sorrow! What irony!
If it comes by Easter,
or with the Trinity
(other versions Navidad, or Christmas)
Do, re, mi, do, re, fa.
or with the Trinity.

The Trinity will be finished,
What sorrow! what sorrow! what fury!
Trinity will be finished
Marlborough will not come now,
Do, re, mi, do, re, fa,
Marlborough will not come now.
------------------------------

Here is a Puerto Rican version, much more complete, a children's game.

MAMBRú

Mambrú se fué a la guerra,
!Qué dolor, qué dolor, qué pena!
Mambrú se fué a la guerra
no sé cuando vendrá
Do, re, mi, do, re, ma,
no sé cuandro vendrá.

Si vendrá para Pascuas
!Qué dolor, qué, dolor, qué pena!
Si vendrá para Pasquas o para Navidad,
Do, re, mi, do, re, ma.
o para Navidad.

Allá viene un barquito
Qué dolor, qué dolor, qué pena!
Allá viene un barquito
?Qué noticias traerá?
Do, re, mi, do, re, ma
?Qué noticias traerá?

Las noticias que trae
Qué dolor, qué dolor, qué pena!
Las noticias que trae
dan ganas de llorar,
Do, re, mi, do, re, ma,
dan ganas de llorar.

Es que Mambrú se ha muerto,
Qué dolor, qué dolor, qué pena!
es que Mambrú se ha muerto,
y lo llevan a enterrar
Do, re, mi, do, re, ma
y lo llevan a enterrar.

La caja era de oro,
Qué dolor, qué dolor, qué pena!
La caja era de oro,
con tapa de cristal
Do, re, mi, do, re, ma,
con tapa de cristal.

Encima de la tapa
Qué dolor, qué dolor, qué pena!
encima de la tapa
un pajarito va,
Do, re, mi, do, re, ma,
un pajarito va.

Cantando pio, pio
!Qué dolor, qué dolor, qué pena!
Cantando pio, pio
el pio, pio, pa,
Do, re, mi, do, re, ma
el pio, pio, pa.

3. There comes a little boat.
What news does it carry?
4. The news that it carries
makes one want to cry.
5. It is that Marlborough is dead,
and is being carried to be buried.
6. The casket will be gold,
with a crystal cover.
7. On the cover
is seen a little bird.
8. It is singing pio, pio, etc.
(Pio also means piously).

A monthly cultural publication for Puerto Rico.
Mambru

Does anyone want to post the history here? I think he did get to the Peninsula, but I dunno anything else. Did Marlborough die?

---

Click to play

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Se me fue a la guerra
From: Chris Green
Date: 23 Sep 04 - 06:04 PM

Cheers, mate! I'm intrigued!

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Se me fue a la guerra
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 23 Sep 04 - 05:59 PM

Another version with midi from Puerto Rico: Mambru

Duelingbouzoukis, a translation coming (I think).

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Se me fue a la guerra
From: Chris Green
Date: 23 Sep 04 - 05:33 PM

Eh? I don't speak Spanish! Can anyone tell me what it means?

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Se me fue a la guerra
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 23 Sep 04 - 05:10 PM

MAMBRÚ SE FUÉ A LA GUERRA

1. Mambrú se fué a la guerra
!Qué dolor, qué dolor, qué pena!
Mambrú se fué a la guerra
no se quando vendrá
Do, Re, Mi, Do, Re, Fa,
no sé cuando vendrá.

2. Si vendrá por la Pascua,
!Qué dolor, qué dolor, qué guasa!
Si vendrá por la Pascua
o par la Trinidad
Do, Re, Mi, Do, Re, Fa
o por la Trinidad.

3. La Trinidad se acaba
!Qué dolor, qué dolor, qué rabia;
la Trinidad se acaba,
Mambrú no viene ya,
Do, Re, Mi, Do, Re, Fa,
Mambrú no viene ya.

With music, p. 119. Allena Luce, 1921, Canciones Populares, Silver-Burdett y Compañࢽa, Boston.

Close to Joe's post,, but with verses separated and a couple of lines changed.

---

Click to play

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Se me fue a la guerra
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 23 Sep 04 - 04:32 PM

Joe, I think you have it. The song was originally French, but became Spanish as well. Mambrú is a corruption of Marlborough, "Juan Churchill," of the European coalition who fought the French.
There are many verses (coplas) to the song.
Your children's version is different from the one sung in Spanish-American schools, which I will post. No idea of the Spanish. (Yours is from an Italian website).

Subject: ADD: Mambrú Se Fue A La Guerra
From: Joe Offer
Date: 23 Sep 04 - 04:10 PM

I wonder if it could be the song I found here (click).

Mambrú Se Fue A La Guerra
Canciones infantiles

Mambrú se fue a la guerra,
mire usted, mire usted, qué pena.
Mambrú se fue a la guerra,
no sé cuándo vendrá,
Do-re-mi,
do-re-fa.
No sé cuándo vendrá.

Si vendrá por la Pascua,
mire usted, mire usted, qué gracia.
Si vendrá por la Pascua
o por la Trinidad.
Do-re-mi,
do-re-fa.
O por la Trinidad,
La Trinidad se pasa,
mire usted, mire usted, qué guasa.
La Trinidad se pasa.
Mambrú no viene ya.
Do-re-mi,
do-re-fa.
Mambrú no viene ya.

---

Click to play

Subject: Lyr Req: Se me fue a la guerra
From: GUEST,nivag13
Date: 23 Sep 04 - 12:36 PM

i am trying to find this song for my father in law. he says it is from WW2. i have the first part but i havent had luck with the rest. if anyone knows this and the melody it would be a great help.
we arn't too sure about the title.

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This thread went off on a tangent to another song. Nivag's request is now here (click), and I've moved messages about that song to that thread.
-Joe Offer-